Mandated reporters are required to give their names when making a report. However, the reporter's identity is kept confidential. Anonymous reporting may be possible for complainants, but not for mandated reporters themselves. Persons who are not legally mandated may make anonymous reports.
It is important to note that reporting child abuse is taken extremely seriously, and a mandated reporter may face penalties or fines for either failing to report or for false reporting. The importance of reporting and doing so accurately means that many states do not allow for anonymous reporting.
Here is an example of how this works in Massachusetts: Mandated reporters cannot be anonymous. Mandated reporters must tell DCF who they are and give them their contact and identification information. Only non-mandated reporters can be anonymous reporters.
